Spring 2013

Children and Childhood in Scandinavia

Scan 496

 
In this course we will explore the changing understanding of childhood and youth in Scandinavia, primarily Sweden, through children’s literature and classic accounts of childhood in fiction, film and related media. Works analyzed range from Hans-Christian Andersen’s fairy tales and Astrid Lindgren’s world literature classic Pippi Longstocking to contemporary youth fiction and cinema. We will address questions about what constitutes children’s literature in Scandinavia and in a comparative context with the US; how childhood is construed in books self-described as children’s literature as well as in adult-audience fiction and memoirs; and how representations of childhood correlate with evolving ideas about family formation, child-rearing, the welfare state, and education in twentieth- and twenty-first century Scandinavia. Course goals include gaining knowledge of important texts, concepts, genres, and narrative strategies in children’s and youth literature and understanding these in terms of social-historical contexts in Scandinavia and the US. The course will offer students a comparative context with which to gain a fuller understanding of Scandinavian children’s and youth culture in correlation to American educational and literary traditions, and will provide students with an opportunity to gain in-depth insight into a culture known internationally as a forerunner in children’s rights and education.
 
Taught in English

Meets with CWL 441; CI 499; GLBL 499

 
Course instructor: Dr. Theo Malekin
Where: TBA
When: T TR 2-3.20pm